The Answer
by Aza Marael
Summary: For the first time in a long time, Truth truly wished to be human.


Humans were foolish creatures. They had proven themselves so time and time again. No matter how He watched, it seemed never ending, the mistakes they so continuously and effortlessly repeated.

But perhaps being foolish wasn't a flaw in the species. Perhaps it was in that foolishness that Truth was born, that Bonds were created. Truth has always been, always was, and always will be. Truth is. That is the simple truth. But the Truth is not so simple. As the science of alchemy is vast and undiscovered, so life is never ending and existentially flowing. The essence of the earth flows in an infinite circle, a circular infinity. All things must come unto themselves, and so through the Cycle it goes.

That is Truth's answer and understanding of human foolishness, as it is the answer and understanding of all things. Some cycles are meant to be broken and warped. Some are always and will always have been.

Until the Promised Day, She had almost forgotten Their faith in humanity. The unceasing doubt that Truth always knew of questioned the reason for their existence. The faith understood, as did the doubt. It was the way things were eternally meant to be.

Edward Elric was indeed an intriguing human. Born of the last Xerxian man and an Amestrian woman. Perhaps that was what made him so. But no. Truth knew that such trivialities could not equal the value of a soul. Edward Elric was the first. The first human to have made God speechless. The first human to offer up his own Portal of Truth. The first to finally solve The Riddle. And the first to give more than he received.

To offer up the entirety of the knowledge of the Portal of Truth, his Portal of Truth, for the value of a single human soul… It was preposterous. Even knowing this was how it was to be, Truth was truly and utterly speechless for the first and most singular moment in existence. They had forgotten that humanity could evolve in immense proportions not just physically, but spiritually as well. But equivalence is the Cycle, and the Cycle is equivalence. Edward Elric could not receive only a single soul in return.

But of course, Edward Elric had forgotten that knowledge and substance were not the only things that could be exchanged. Truth took away his Portal, and in return gave back his brother, his country's peace, a long life, and a family. And only when all that was said and done did Truth feel that at last the balance of equivalent exchange had been properly achieved.

For in all existence, Edward Elric remained God's favorite. Centuries later and They still enjoyed that moment, enjoyed looking back on Edward Elric's life, on all that led up to his Answer. It was the Answer that Homunculus failed to conceive, ceased to understand. The One Truth. And all that it took to gain that knowledge was the right words.

It could not be said that the failure to find the Answer was the lack of a human soul. Even Greed the Avaricious eventually came to understand the Answer. In that understanding, Homunculus really was not so different from humans. So blinded by the thirst for knowledge was it that that very knowledge which it sought was taken from its grasp. Homunculus had followed in the footsteps of so many of the misguided before it.

And in that, Truth was disappointed. They had known it would lead to this, some way or another. Such were the many possibilities of time and space. But in this universe, this dimension, that last glimmer of hope had been lost for it. Homunculus had fallen from favor of God, like Lucifer so long ago. Knowledge and power only wrought destruction, and destruction wrought vengeance. Vengeance only brought about hate, and that desire to change the unfortunate circumstances brought them back to the beginning. And so was the cycle unwittingly created by mankind.

But Edward Elric's Answer would lead to the life he desired. Edward Elric's Answer was his breaking of the cycle. One life with his brother, with his friends, with peace. Edward Elric understood, truly understood. To be human, to be foolish, it was not so bad. To be just one person in the vastness of existence. To understand and accept your own existence in the Cycle. With Edward Elric, the world would begin to understand, and all would be set right at last. Truth could only wait for the Other Side to understand their own place in this Cycle of existing.

As Edward Elric hopped on that train headed west, Alphonse Elric on his way east, God grinned. He knew of the changes those boys would bring to their world, but She looked forward to seeing it firsthand.

All is One. One is All. I am God. God is I. The Truth lies within me. I lie within the Truth. And for the first time in a long time, Truth truly wished to be human.

* * *

 **Really, really short, but I forgot what I was doing halfway through. That damned spark of inspiration comes and goes at the most inopportune moments.**

 **Regardless. I literally just finished binge-watching both Fullmetal Alchemist series. That's at least the fourth time I've watched them. Each. I've lost count though. Somewhere around four. Still, it's been like seven or eight years since the last time I've watched it from start to finish, and I forgot how _good_ it was. Like, the answer to the riddle of the universe is in that show.**

 **But I got this idea while I was watching the part where Ed gives up his Portal of Truth. Anyone else notice how Ed made Truth speechless? Just thought it was interesting. :P This is what I've been doing instead of writing. I do hope, later though, to write a longer spiel from the eyes of Truth. That would be fun. :3**

 **Also, for anyone who is confused, I switch between pronouns a whole bunch since Truth doesn't really have a gender, not being defined by the laws of humanity. And Truth also referred to Themselves as God, Truth, You, I, etc. I kept it between God and Truth for the most part just to keep things simple.**


End file.
